Pentagon Boss Fires Defense Intel Chief Whose Iran Strikes Assessment Angered Trump

Last Updated:August 23, 2025, 19:59 IST

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth fired DIA chief Lt Gen Jeffrey Kruse after his Iran strike assessment angered Donald Trump; Christine Bordine named Acting Director.

S Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday fired Lt Gen Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency. (X)

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday (local time) fired Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) chief Lt Gen Jeffrey Kruse after his assessment of damage to Iranian nuclear sites from US strikes angered President Donald Trump, CNN reported.

Apart from Kruse, Hegseth removed Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, the chief of US Naval Reserves, and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, an official, on condition of anonymity, told the news outlet.

According to people familiar with the decision and a White House official, the firing was due to a “loss of confidence," though no specific details were given. The Defence Department has not yet announced who will take over leadership of the agency.

However, a DIA spokesperson provided a statement to NBC News saying, “Deputy Director Christine Bordine assumes the role of Acting Director of DIA effective immediately."

Kruse’s removal came days after DIA’s initial findings into the US attack on Iran appeared to contradict Trump’s claims. As per the agency, its initial assessment revealed that the US strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities had a limited effect. It further said that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months, contradicting assertions from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US President, who had pronounced the Iranian program “completely and fully obliterated," rejected the report.

In a press conference following the June strikes, Hegseth lambasted the press for focusing on the preliminary assessment but did not offer any direct evidence of the destruction of Iranian nuclear production facilities.

“You want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated — choose your word. This was an historically successful attack," Hegseth said then.

While the Pentagon has offered no details on the firings, Democrats in Congress have raised alarm over the precedent Kruse’s ouster sets for the intelligence community.

“The firing of yet another senior national security official underscores the Trump administration’s dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country," US Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said as quoted by CNN.

The Trump administration has increasingly moved against both the military leadership and the intelligence community.

Some current and former national security officials, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Charles “CQ" Brown, chief of Naval Operations Adm Lisa Franchetti, Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, were removed from their posts since Trump assumed the presidency.

Last week, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen David Allvin also announced he would step down in November after being forced out.

In April, Trump fired General Timothy Haugh, head of the Security Agency, and his deputy, Wendy Noble, after pressure from far-right activist Laura Loomer.

A month later, Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard removed Michael Collins, acting chair of the Intelligence Council, along with his deputy, after their assessment clashed with Trump’s immigration policies.

(With inputs from agencies)

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

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